A Demon's Tale
by Killerflood
Summary: It's been years since the Belkan War and on a cold day in 2006, a survivor decides to watch a new documentary about the war centered on one particular pilot. She sits down not to learn about him, but to remember and reminisce. Join with her and read the story about the 6th Ustio Air Division and all of the pilots who once made it the linchpin of the Allies' war effort.
1. Present - Rememberance

_**25 January 2006**_

"Paperwork. The bane of my existence."

I let out a small grunt into the office. I drop my pen and stretch. My back gives a few satisfying pops. I then look across my desk to make sure it's still organized.

 _Yep, the papers are still in a neat stack._

The only other thing resting on my desk is a photograph tucked into a frame on the side. The rest is perfectly bland.

I close my eyes and then send a hand back through my blonde hair neatly tied into a ponytail. The door creaks open and a sharply dressed man comes through.

"Colonel?"

My blue eyes snap open and I consciously make sure that any fatigue previously shown immediately disappears. They easily zero in on the man who stands rigid before me.

"Yes, Sergeant Peterson?"

"Mam, you had asked to be told when the documentary was about to start?"

A moment of silence passes. My gaze glazes over for a second as I stare through the Sergeant. It unconsciously drifts to the photograph. Four people, pilots by their attire, stand together. Two females up front stand back to back facing the camera with their arms crossed. Both of them look like younger versions of me. To the left next to me, the one with short hair touching her shoulders, stands a tall jock. A smirk can be seen as he flips the camera the bird. To the right of the one with a tightly braided bun is an average man with oil stains on his face. A simple raised hand is shown.

A second passes by before I realize my gaze has wondered. My eyes snap back to the Sergeant and then to the paper in front of me.

"One moment."

I take the pen and quickly sign my name, Elisabeth Achterberg. After that, I move from my seat and head to the door. I nod to Peterson as I move by to get my heavy coat from the rack.

"Thank you, Sergeant. Feel free to come along if you want to watch as well."

"Where are you headed to Mam?"

"The lounge."

"Mam?"

"It's the place with the largest television and I don't doubt it's being used for this. This little documentary has been the talk of the base if not the entire air force."

Peterson follows behind me as I stride towards the lobby. Peterson manages to get his own coat on quickly enough and we both exit out into the cold I shoot a look out across the snowy wonderland. It's not snowing now thankfully. We both start jogging to a smaller building down the line.

"How are you liking Heierlark Base, Sergeant?"

I glance back to Peterson and see him make a small shrug.

"It's definitely ... colder than I expected."

"The base or the locals?"

"Bo-uh. Base, of course."

I turn around to hide a smirk when I see his quick grimace. The people around here might understand what happened, but bruised national pride doesn't disappear just because you're now citizens of a new country.

 _Especially if said country caused said bruised pride. The nukes are carefully not mentioned._

"You transferred here from Sand Island?"

"Yes, Mam."

"Has Colonel Longstreet left yet?"

"Word had it that the changing of the guard would happen about a week after I left, Mam."

"Good for him. Colonel Perrault was his replacement, right?"

"Yes, mam."

I let out a quiet snort.

 _I feel sorry for Sand Island. I only met him once but from what I've heard that stick up his ass hasn't changed at all._

Peterson and I arrive at the entrance to the building jokingly referred to as 'entertainment operations'. I pause for a moment just before going in.

"Oh, and Peterson?"

I turn around to look at him and he stares back quizzically.

"Mam?"

I give Peterson a small smirk.

"Don't worry about the locals. Give them a couple of decades and they might start saying hello."

* * *

"-and so his rant continues on and on. The technicians to the side are sick of it, we're sick of it, hell even _he_ looked sick of it. All of this because one poor sob made the mistake of answering the bastard's question of 'where do you all see yourselves in five years.' So he's finally through with his tirade and finishes with, 'And that's where you all will be. Scrubbing the latrines with your faces because none of you are good enough to even look straight!' "

I sigh with a disgusted look. We're all sitting here listening to the latest story of the newest nugget instructor after the old one was transferred. The man might be knowledgeable in certain things but we all seem forced to learn more about how to shout than the finer details of flying a jet. We call him the bull because all he sees is red. The groans heard all around attest to this.

"But wait, the best part's next." The narrator's face splits into a grin. "Once he's finished he finally notices that we're all standing a little straighter and the technicians too! He stands proud for a moment but then frowns like he's realizing, 'Wait a minute. I'm not respected here.' "

A few chuckles come from those who know what's coming next.

"And sure enough. He turns around and _guess who's_ standing behind him, staring him down?"

Everyone waits expectantly and the nugget's grin turns blinding.

"Now I'm right in front of him so all I hear at first is some woman saying, 'Why Major Timmons, I didn't realize that you were a marine drill instructor.' "

I hear someone in front of me give a small hiss and a bark of laughter behind me.

"He immediately snaps to attention and his hand - you've should have seen it - his hand nearly collides with his forehead. He quickly stands to the side and that's when I finally see who it is. Our savior is Colonel Achterberg herself, with the most unamused face I've ever had the fortune of seeing. Timmons is just looking straight into the hangar wall. The man looked like he swallowed a real nasty lime."

Everyone lets out a chuckle. I and those who know her laugh for a particular reason. The Colonel doesn't often speak and she tends to delegate most of the small things to her subordinates but you quickly learn not to cross her. She doesn't yell. It would almost be better if she did. Instead, she talks to you like a parent to a child or an elder sister to a younger brother. When she's finished chewing you out, you just feel stupid.

That's not your punishment though. Instead, you get grounded and forced to deal with any paperwork required. Then, and especially if you don't have any, you're labeled her temporary assistant and forced to follow her. This includes standing near her as she does her work around the base. All along you're to remain quiet. Not a peep _at all_. This is among other things. We call it being "brevit demoted." One guy said it almost counted as a war crime.

One other guy asks, "So what happened?"

The nugget shrugs and leans back into his chair.

"Nothing. Or at least nothing there. She let us relax and then introduced herself. A small little speech and then we were off following the Bull for the rest."

A few guys shake their head. The same guy as before prods, "What did the other nugget say again?"

The narrator thinks for a second and then dramatically stands up straight with an overly serious expression.

" 'I'm going to be part of the aggressors, sir!' "

I shake my head at that.

"Good luck to him, then. Only a select few get to join."

A fellow pilot next to me nudges my side, "You would know, wouldn't you, Allen?"

Everyone looks to me and I acknowledge them with a smile.

"Yes. Cost me more than I would have liked, but yes."

"Cost?" A random officer asks.

My friend stands up and spreads his arms.

"You guys are looking at Mr. Secretary. Poor bastard's payment for his skills being recognized is being the one with the most brevit demotions."

I grimace and everyone else laughs. I sigh.

"Laugh it up now but I'm graduating real soon." I stare down my associate with a soft glare. "It's Mr. Aggressor now."

"Not yet, Hamilton."

The new voice causes my eyes to widen and a spark of chill to run down my back. Everyone not already standing jerks to attention. At least one chair falls over. All of us turn to look at the lounge's entrance where Colonel Achterberg and Senior Master Sergeant Peterson are standing.

The Colonel's usual placid expression breaks unusually fast. A small smile forms on her face and she actually waves an arm at us.

"At ease."

She easily moves through the men and few women returning to what counts for relaxation when in the presence of a superior. Nobody is brave enough to leave. She looks around before taking a seat facing the muted television screen in the room.

"I heard there is a particular documentary scheduled to come on soon on OBS. Judging by the increased presence in the lounge and not … say … the bar, it means many of you are waiting to watch it as well?"

We all share looks. One brave soul tries to clarify.

"Are you waiting for the Belkan War documentary?"

Achterberg gives a small nod.

The same girl smiles and gives an affirmative, "Yes, Mam!"

Achterberg gives another acknowledging nod before looking around once more.

"Thank you. By all means, don't let my presence keep you from enjoying your down time. If I wanted to-" Her gaze is caught by the small chalkboard which counts each person's brevit tallies by their initials and rank. Her lips twitch up for a second before being forced down and she continues. "-change the scoreboard, I wouldn't do it during a social gathering. I would wait until formations the next morning."

Everyone manages to tear their focus away from the Colonel after a couple of uncomfortable laughs. I make a note to not drink anything tonight to be ready for tomorrow's gathering. The girl who spoke up grabs the remote and unmutes the television. Commercials are on but the next listing is the documentary. We all sit back or stand to wait ...

… that is, until the last commercial before the show starts slaps us all in the face.

"You've gotta be fuckin' with me."

Whoever voiced it goes unnoticed but it's a feeling we all share. On the screen is an army ad in all its cursed charm.

Sergeant Peterson looks like he's killing himself trying to keep from laughing and the Colonel herself has an impressively complex expression. Mortification, disbelief, annoyance, and humor are all wrapped into one.

Peterson covers his face and laughs, "The grunts must have paid a pretty penny for this."

Achterberg shakes her head and sighs, "No, this is entirely OBC and their bad timing. They've been going downhill for years."

The room manages to laugh at the joke for what it is. After that, the remaining tenseness in the room disappears. The commercial passes with a few jeers at the last second until what we've been waiting for finally comes on.

A Black Screen

A date and a vague location fades in with gunfire being heard.

" _ **Oh, him? Yeah, I know him. It's going to take awhile … it happened years ago."**_

I barely catch Achterberg's whisper.

"How? He's dead? Isn't he?"

I almost focus in on her but I consciously bring myself back to the video so that I don't miss anything.

Wide-screen shot of an unknown soldier is shown with the man's face being hidden by the top bar.

 _ **"Did you know … that there are three kinds of aces? Those who seek strength. Those who live for pride. And those who can read the tide of battle. Those are the three.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **And him?**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **He was a true ace."**_

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes (10/31/2017):**_

 **Hello Reader, welcome to another of my stories I'm likely never to finish. As of right now I have a backlog of 4 chapters after this one which I will publish after proofreading them, one day after the next, for a total of 5 chapters. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and will enjoy the next 4. The one after this will be documentary style but the three after that will be normal story.**

 **Canon here is considered anything from the Ace Combat Zero and Ace Combat 5 games and those games only. Neither the Wiki information nor even the backstory from official websites will be considered canon. They might be used but don't expect them to be so.**

 **Until tomorrow/next chapter.**


	2. Documentary - Beginning

25 NOV., 2005 Near a disputed border

"Oh, him? Yeah, I know him. It's going to take awhile … it happened years ago."

Gunfire can be heard in the background as the screen fades in to show a soldier in ragged leather sitting and cradling an AK. The man's face is cut off by the widescreen lens.

"Did you know … that there are three kinds of aces? Those who seek strength. Those who live for pride. And those who can read the tide of battle. Those are the three. ... And him? ... He was a true ace."

He was a fighter pilot they called 'Solo Wing Pixy.' He was a colleague of the man I seek.

Screen changes to black.

10 years ago, there was a war that engulfed the world. On one side of the Pacific, the Union of Yuktobanian Socialist Republics was fighting to complete its own revolution alongside like minded groups and the Osean Federation. The Yukes consider this part of the conflict to be the resolution of their original 'Glorious Revolution.'

A panning shot of photographs on an aged table. One image is of a group of Yuke soldiers saluting the Yuktobanian flag as it's raised above a damaged palace. Another is of a group of officers talking with each other. One is a Yuktobanian, one Osean, and another Verusan.

On the other side was another that flared up just as the first was winding down. We call this one, 'The Belkan War.' And in that war was a pilot who trailed across the sky and disappeared from history

Another panning shot but this time of a thick book. Beneath it and popping out from the top, a magazine with a horseman statue can be seen. The cover of the book is a photo shot towards the sky between two rows of buildings. Two B2 bombers can be seen clearly as they fly away at a low altitude. You see only half of the title but you can guess the rest from the spine. '1995, Front Line: A Record of the Belkan War'.

He was a lone mercenary who inspired both fear and admiration.

Cut to a black and white photograph taken inside of the cockpit of a fighter jet. Looking to the forward right, it captures two F-15's as they peel off fully loaded. The lead Eagle has darkened wingtips while the left trailing one has its right one darkened.

He is the man I seek.

The camera zooms in on the lead plane.

And so…

Cut back to Pixy.

… with the words of "Solo Wing," the curtain rises.

"It was a cold and snowy day. We had been scrambled to deal with an incoming flight of bombers. By this time, our division had been whittled down to two understrength flights and a full one. There was just Crow, Trident, and me, Galm."

A slideshow of photos flash by of a snowy mountainscape with the last of them including shots of an airfield contained within a flat valley.

Pixy, along with the other remaining squadrons, were stationed at Valais Air Base on the eastern mountains of Ustio.

A small flash animation of a map of Ustio is flooded with red from the north. The only untouched parts are a sliver of the southern bulge and the east on the border with Ratio.

Their numbers had been decimated by the relentless and effective Belkan Air Force. The professional wing of the Ustio Air Force was lost in the very beginning. By the 2nd of April, the only pilots left in Ustio's ranks were the mercenaries of the 6th air division.

Cut back to Pixy.

"It all started on that snowy day. He was merged in with me and made flight lead right before contact."

Pixy is seen laughing.

"It was probably because I had pissed off the base commander the day before."

Pixy shakes his head and sighs.

"We were all stressed. As rushed as we all were, I allowed it and followed his lead. I wasn't expecting much. Our only orders were to eliminate the flight. It was a short battle and a free-for-all. In the end he bagged more than I thought he would. My first impression was … he had potential."

A cut to a pan down of a government document. From the Osean Ministry of Defense, it is labeled top secret with the title, ' _Details regarding Offensive Campaign No. 4101'._

The Belkan War is shrouded in mystery. But now, a decade after the peace accords, a portion of the records was finally released. I quickly got a hold of it. Wanting more details, I acquired information from unknown sources.

Another shot fades in as a blood drop falls. 'Producer: An Asylum inmate.' A horizontal pan of sepia-toned stacks of books and papers fades in from the right.

There was a reason for my obsession.

'Director: A hackjob of a far better work.'

The credits fade away and are replaced by a map. A title bar dissolves in from the bottom left.

The roots of the war lie in the Belkan Federal law review that took place in 1988.

The map shows a topographical view of the central part of the Osean continent. Belka as it was before 1988 fades in, colored yellow. The title bar states, '1987 | The Osean Continent'.

The map fades to a white outline version and zooms in on Belka with the eastern province borders shown. The title changes: '17th Dec., 1987 | The amendment of federal Belkan law.'

Belka, suffering from economic strife, permitted its eastern territory to secede.

The northeast province fades to wide. The title changes: '8th Feb., 1988 | The northeast declares their independence and establishes Mons as the new capital.'

It zooms in even further with the focus on the southeastern province. '12 May, 1988 | The southeast declares their independence and establishes Directus as the new capital.' 

And the Republic of Ustio was born.

'Written by: A bunch of monkeys and a typewriter.'

But Belka's economic troubles did not subside.

The map and title is shown again. '29 Aug., 1991 | The northern territories are sold off to independent and FATO states.' Parts of Belka's eastern border are faded out.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the situation, the world Superpower Osea continued to flourish. Even embroiled in the Yuktobanian Resolution, it was able to take the Great Lakes region, giving a meager amount of help in return.

The map zooms slightly out and Osea turns blue. The blue advance continues further into western Belkan land just past the Great Lakes. '29 Aug., 1991 | The northern islands and the five great lakes are ceded to Osea.'

The map changes to consolidate the new border. Eastern Belka has split into the two states of Gebet and Recta. Ustio has its eastern portion sheared off by Ratio. '16th Dec., 1991 | Territory reformations are made.' 

'Extras provided by: the lowest bidder.' 

Amidst the economic panic, an extreme right-wing party took power within Belka, aiming to restore strength and stability to the nation.

Cut to a picture of the Belkan flag waving in the wind.

In a few years, they seemingly succeeded.

The map reappears. Gebet is colored yellow. '20 Oct.,1993 | Gebet surrenders its independence to Belka.' 

The newly formed countries of Gebet and Recta, which had fallen into turmoil, were brought back into the fold.

Recta is merged into Belkan yellow. '4 Apr., 1994 | Recta is reannexed.' 

But Belka wasn't whole yet.

Cut to - 'Special Thanks: The Ace Combat development team.' 

And, on March 25th, 1995, with the discovery of natural resources in Ustio, Belka began to invade its neighbors.

The map returns. Belkan yellow starts to surge out with red arrows across Ustio, Osea, and Sapin. '25th Mar., 1995 | The Belkan Invasion of neighboring countries begins.'

After a moment, cut to black.

It was the beginning of the Belkan War.

 _The Belkan War: A Demon's Tale_

* * *

 _ **Author'**_ _ **s Notes**_ _ **(11/1/2017):**_

 **Roll credits! *Ding***

 **This was what I meant by "documentary" style chapter. If you have visual imagination, great! If not, then sorry. Tomorrow's/Next chapter will be simple narrative again. The next three chapters deal with Operation Crossbow, otherwise known as the first mission of Ace Combat Zero.**

 **I'm assuming you've played the game and so you noticed that the mention of Yuktobania a few other things were added. There's no such reference to "Trident" or "Crow" after all. This is meant to just fill out the war more and provide more background. This is why I'm not considering official background information from official websites or the wiki. The history which the Aces Team made for their world might be decent, but I want to make it better. And to do so I must be allowed to ignore certain things which in my opinion introduce inconsistency or clash with my understanding of a realistic and _working_ modern setting. **

**If you have suggestions or opinions on this, then let me know.**


	3. Operation Crossbow - 1

Valais Air Base, 020° 04' 08" N, 239° 31' 24" E, 12:30hrs, 02 April 1995

"All pilots to the briefing room, at once!"

Above the air raid siren, everyone is able to hear the base commander's order. Technicians and mechanics go about prepping the planes. Other airmen rush to and fro doing their best to get as much as they can into the underground bunkers already filled with essentials.

From the barracks to the back of the air field a group of three in pilot overalls is seen piling onto a motorized cart. A female with blonde hair in a tight bun jumps into the driver seat. Another blonde with shoulder length hair rides shotgun. As soon as the large man with short dark hair gets into the back, the driver floors it. The cart shoots off in the direction of the command bunker. For a split second it looks as if it would roll over but the driver gets it under control.

The male in the back yells, "Agathe, you can't drive worth a shit!"

"We're likely about to be bombed you dumbass! Now's not the time to stall!" The driver replies.

"At least slow down so you don't get us killed before the bombs do?" The passenger holding onto the frame for dear life beside her begs.

The driver shakes her head.

"Sorry, sis! No time!"

The cart tears along the runway missing the other few vehicles driving around. It jerks to a stop in front of the building next to the command tower. All three climb out and run to the tower. Agathe jerks the door open and the three run inside.

"Christophe, Elisabeth, someone, hold the door!"

The trailing female quickly doubles back. She pushes it open enough for a harried fourth guy with brown hair and in pilot fatigues to get inside.

"Thanks, Elisabeth!"

Christophe jogs backwards while asking, "Where the fuck were you, Renard?"

Renard replies as they all four continue to run, "Mechanics, where I always am!"

"Did you see Crow on your way?" Agathe shouts back as they round the corner.

"Last I knew they were at the lounge."

Christophe growls, "They better not be fucking drunk."

Elisabeth shakes her head as they run to the entrance of the briefing room.

"They're smarter than that. What about Pixy?"

"The way he was yelling at the Colonel last night, I wouldn't be surprised to find him in the brig."

"And miss getting paid? I'll pass!"

All four zero in on the voice inside of the briefing room. A relaxed man with smooth brown hair, Pixy, is seen sitting in the front row of chairs. He's turned back with a grin. Beside him is a new pilot with black hair and silver eyes. Christophe notices him first.

"Who the hell are you?"

The other three then focus on the unknown man. The guy makes to speak but is cut off by Pixy who slings his arm around the man's shoulders.

"Trident, I would like for you to meet the newest member of Galm. I call him Cipher."

Agathe raises an eyebrow and stares at Cipher.

"Really?"

Cipher just shrugs helplessly which gets a laugh from Christophe.

"So the newest meat shield is a doormat. Awesome."

Pixy shakes his head and pats Cipher on the back.

"Don't mind Niceguy too much. He's just an asshole."

Renard snorts and Agathe barks out a laugh. Christophe growls but decides to just sit down. The three others move to take seats as well. Elisabeth waves to get Pixy's attention and then points at Cipher.

"Why Cipher?"

Pixy smiles and shrugs.

"He hasn't talked much and I still haven't figured out where he came from."

Agathe butts in.

"You didn't bother to ask?"

"Wasn't able to."

Elisabeth tilts her head.

"What do you mean?"

"Well ... I-"

Pixy waffles long enough for Cipher to answer for him. With a weak smile Cipher says, "Shouting match."

A short moment of silence passes before Christophe slaps his knee and laughs.

"Wait, Wait. You're telling me that this guy," Christophe points at Cipher, "is the reason we could almost hear you outside of the offices?"

"No." Pixy rolls his eyes. "Not him specifically."

"Then why?" Agathe asks.

Pixy shakes his head and says, "You'll find out soon."

Agathe flicks him the bird but then turns to Cipher.

"So spill." Agathe prods. "Who are you? Where ya from?"

Cipher begins to speak but at that moment the room's doors burst open and three heavy breathing guys jog inside. The shortest one with a motley beard among them laughs. The youngest one elbows him with a large grin.

"I told you we'd make it!"

Pixy waves at them.

"Glad you could finally join us Crow."

Renard smiles at them.

"Wow, you guys have poor timing."

"In more ways than one, too," mumbles Elisabeth.

The balding third guy with a slight gut-pouch, sends a glare at Renard.

"We're so sorry Mr. 'I own a souped-up-fucking-golf-cart.' "

The bearded one looks around for a moment. He spots an incredulous look before looking to Cipher. He nods up at him.

"Cool. New guy."

"Wait, really?"

The younger one perks up and looks at him as well. The bearded one shakes his head and says, "Later."

He moves on and looks at Pixy.

"Where's Colonel Falkenrath?"

"Listen up!"

All of the pilots rush to attention as a tall Colonel with greying black hair comes in from a side door. He quickly moves to a computer at the front of the room. He punches in a few keys and the screen behind him turns on and fills up in red.

"We have a situation on our hands. A major squadron of Belkan bombers has crossed our border and is making its way _here_ , to Valais Air Base."

The screen forms into a topographic map of Ustio and the surrounding area. It zooms in on a region northwest of the eastern Ustio border. A group of red arrows appear on the top left and then a group of yellow ones on the bottom. An arrow from the yellow group moves up to intercept the red's path.

"Apparently, they intend to attack our base in an initiative to gain hegemony over the entire Republic of Ustio. Valais Air Base is our country's last line of defense. If our base falls, no one will be left to stop Belka from taking over Ustio. Your mission is to destroy the squad of bombers and defend our base. Belka's invasion must. End. Here."

The Colonel looks across the pilots with a fierce gaze.

"Understood?"

Some pilots nod their heads and a general mix of "Yes" and "Sir" is heard. The Colonel's eyes twitch but he nods in turn.

"Good. Get to your planes and get them in the air. We have no time to lose. Assemble together as a group and then wait for further details. Dismissed!"

All of the pilots scramble out of the room. Trident team piles into their cart and takes off for their underground hangar. Agathe, as the passenger, breaks the silence on the way.

"Thoughts on new guy?"

Christophe huffs and crosses his arms.

"Looks weak."

Agathe snorts, "Everyone looks weak in comparison to you, you steroid junky. I meant as a pilot."

As they roll through the cavern entrance in between fuel trucks moving out and ammo trucks moving in, Elisabeth shrugs.

"Pixy was right on with the nickname. There's not much to guess from."

"We can listen on the radio and then talk with him after the mission." Renard suggests while parking. "More time then."

Christophe grunts, "right."

The four split up and run to their hangars. Elisabeth heads to hers and runs to her locker by the entrance. She busts it open and pulls on the rest of her equipment. She runs to the ladder as the servicemen hurry up in finishing their tasks. She climbs into the cockpit and waits for the crew chief to give her a thumbs up.

She quickly powers on the electronics and flips through making sure everything works. Flaps, loadout, meters, everything needed is checked at a blistering pace. She grabs her helmet and straps it on and connects it with the plane. Her heads up display immediately pops up. The jet is set up and within minutes she rolls out behind the rest of her flight. Four SU-27's kitted for anti-air roll into the canal of their hangar and then, once lined up, exit.

As they approach the runway, Elisabeth's radio crackles.

"Trident 1, base command. You are cleared for take off as soon as able. Climb to an altitude of 2500 meters and hold for the rest of 6th air division. How, copy?"

Agathe is the one to reply.

"Base command, this is Trident 1. Copy, wilco."

She then replies over the squad net.

"Alright, ladies. Point, Niceguy, and Scrubs, mic check."

Elisabeth is first. "Point, copy."

Renard is next. "Scrubs, copy.

Christophe is last. "Ready to fuck them up Dainty. I copy."

Elisabeth can almost feel Agathe's eyes rolling.

"Right. Meet you all up top."

Agathe's Flanker hits the runway first. Her flaps down and her engines hot, she takes off into the cloudy midday sky. Renard takes off next and then Christophe. Elisabeth lines up and then throttles up. She lets the acceleration push her into her seat and watches the buildings pass by in her periphery. Her Flanker finally generates enough lift and the wheels leave the ground. Once stable, she picks the gear up and follows her flight. She steals a look back and glimpses three F-16's rolling onto the runway and two F-15's exiting their cavern.

Elisabeth returns her gaze forward.

"It looks like we won't have to wait long at least. Galm's last and Crow is on the runway."

Christophe jokes, "I'd ride down the bastards if they weren't."

Agathe speaks over general, "Hey Pixy. What's the hold-up?"

"Ask Cipher."

A calm voice is heard next.

"Fueling. Technicians took too long."

A loud voice in Crow team speaks up.

"They know they're about to be bombed right?"

Another voice in Crow breaks in with, "I'm sure you can tell them when we get back, Bark."

A pause and then a third voice says, "Trident-1, Crow-1, I've just taken off and Galm is behind us. We'll be with you shortly."

"Good news, Scruffy, it was getting lonely up here."

Soon enough all jets are in the air and circling until base command comes on the radio.

"6th Division, this is base command. Glad to see you all made it up. Orders are to head north-west, bearing 310, for 40 klicks. While on the way, Galm team will receive numbers. Copy?"

The flight leaders reply their affirmatives, but confusion crosses Elisabeth's mind at the mention of Galm's numbers.

"Crow-1, copy."

"This is Trident-1. I copy."

"Pixy copies."

"Cipher, I copy."

The nine fighters circle around then fly off on the given heading. Up above them all, the clouds are heavy. Below are the cold Waldreich mountains. Behind them is their last haven. In front … there's Belka.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes (11/2/2017):**_ **Operation Crossbow** **begin.**


	4. Operation Crossbow - 2

_**NW of Valais Air Base; 1300hrs**_

"It's starting to come down!"

The call from Pixy resounds over 6th Division's radios when a heavy snow starts to fall. The nine jets fly through the bad weather to get into a better position to intercept. Everyone's radios crackle again.

"Galm Team, this is base command. Listen up, I have your numbers."

"Pixy here. Lay it on us."

"Pixy, for this operation you are Galm-2. Cip-"

Command is cut off by the voices of the other pilots shouting out in disbelief.

"What!?"

"You're joking right?"

"I'm sorry, Base, could you repea-"

Colonel Falkenrath cuts into the chatter and shouts, " _Crow and Trident,_ _Clear the channel!"_

The radio clears of chatter as all of the pilots shut up from the Colonel's order. Niceguy, however, isn't cowed.

"Why are you letting the new guy take lead?"

"Trident-3, if you ever question my orders again, then you will be given penalties towards your next paycheck. _Do I make myself clear?_ "

The comms remain quiet until Niceguy replies. "Trident 3 copies." By the strain in his voice, it's obvious he's having to hold back cursing the Colonel out. The Colonel continues on.

"Good. I will repeat, Pixy, you are Galm-2 for this operation. Cipher you will be Galm-1. Do you both copy?"

The radio remains quiet. Cipher, in his jet, does not touch his communications. He turns to the side to try to get a look at Pixy but can't through the storm. When the silence stretches on, the Colonel's voice cuts through the cockpit again.

He growls, "Cipher and Pixy, do. _You._ _ **Copy.**_ "

A tired Pixy's voice finally comes over the radio.

"Galm-2 here. Wilco."

Immediately Cipher's voice follow's Pixy's.

"Galm-1. Wilco."

" _Good._ To all flights, you are to follow all orders of your flight lead. Free engagement is prohibited. The primary targets are the bombers. Shoot them all down. Don't let them get to our base. As soon as they are dealt with, you are to disengage. Does everyone understand?"

All of the pilots call in their affirmatives although a few are noticeably sulky about it.

"Excellant. I will return you to ops."

Base command's voice immediately comes back on.

"Oookay. Bearing 315 from Base, Belkan bombers approaching. Flights are to modify course to Bearing 323."

All of the jets make soft turns to the right. The current formation has Trident in the middle, Crow to the front-right-high, and Galm to the back-left-low. Pixy's voice cuts across Cipher's radio.

"Nobody wants to bail out into a mountain of ice. I'm counting on you, flight leader."

No reply is given for a second until Cipher replies with a simple, "Understood."

A short time later, base command comes on again.

"At your position, your long range should be picking them up now. All units, prepare to intercept."

A low whistle is heard over the comms. Scruffy's voice is heard with faint disbelief.

"I'm counting three groups and those blips are way too big. I'd guess at least three bombers to each group so we're looking at around nine bombers and assorted escorts."

Bark's voice comes next.

"But that's nearly an entire bomber squad!"

An uncomfortable laugh is heard from Scrubs.

"It looks like they really want to finish us off."

The formation flies quiet for a moment until the roar from Cipher's jet increases as he opens up the throttle. While his jet begins to overtake the formation, Cipher's muffled voice breaks the silence.

"It's nothing we weren't told during the briefing. We simply need to leave them disappointed."

Pixy does a double take, but a smile soon takes over his face. He quickly clasps his oxygen mask and then follows his lead. He goads the other flights on as he passes them.

"All those too scared to fly should go back to base and wait patiently with their tail between their legs. Galm team will handle this!"

All of the other pilots can only stare in astonishment for a second until Dainty gets back her wits.

"You cheeky bastard! We're not letting the new guy out do us, are we!?"

Dainty's jet quickly follows Galm team. Niceguy opens up his own throttle and replies, "Like hell!"

Crow-3 joins in saying, "Let's make quick work of these suckers and treat ourselves to a little hot whiskey."

Soon enough, all aircraft are following Galm. Pixy's F-15 slows slightly to slide into Cipher's wingman position.

"Awaiting your orders, Cipher. You're Galm-1 now."

Cipher breathes in deeply and then exhales. With a certain nod he says, "Copy. Let's take it up high. I have a basic idea. We want to be above them. Modify it when we get closer."

By the time Galm has leveled out, Crow and Trident have wound up in front of them. Cipher checks his radar and sees that Crow is nearly in the bomber's path and Trident is in the middle having also increased their altitude. The enemy bombers haven't changed course but the lead blip has bulged forward a little. Cipher sees all of this and nods his head once more.

He flips his radio to general and asks, "Galm-1 to Crow and Trident, are you both open to a suggestion?"

A few seconds pass until Scruffy replies.

"Crow-1 here. Yeah, I'll listen. I guess anything's better than nothing."

Dainty is heard sighing but she says, "Sure, why not. Doesn't mean I plan on following it though."

A small crooked smile crosses Cipher's face.

"Your consideration is all I need."

* * *

On the opposing side, the bombers continue their straight flight. The whole formation has slowed down significantly to create more time before contact. The pilot of the lead bomber notices his left wingman straying to the left away from the incoming Ustio fighters. He flicks the radio on and orders him back into formation.

"Otto 3, stay on course. Don't make things difficult for our escort planes."

The large behemoth to his side begins to fly straight once more.

The lead pilot nods his head and thinks, _As it should be._

His attention is taken by his co-pilot giving a status update.

"We have it clear now. Nine fighters are in front of us. Two above and near, three slightly below, and the four farthest to our front."

The pilot grunts and focuses ahead. He thinks for a second and then flicks the radio on again.

"Hellschild, we need your entire squad to back us up. We don't want any fighters on our tails."

A second later, the three F-5's guarding the middle group begin to pull ahead to join the four in the front. They won't be there in time though.

The co-pilot cries out. "Captain!"

"What?"

"The two up high are accelerating!"

Sure enough the two F-15's have lit their afterburners and are gunning for the first group. All of a sudden, Otto-3 breaks left with a cry of "We're being targeted! Evasive action!"

The Captain curses. "Shit!" He immediately cuts to the radio and shouts, "Otto-3, stay in formation! That's an order!"

"Fighters are diving!"

"Huh?"

He looks up and finds the F-15's diving their way. Their four escorts rise to intercept. A joust looks like it's going to occur but the two F-15's swerve left and increase their dive. It takes but a split-second for the four Belkan F-5's to follow them. Two Belkan's continue the dive to follow while the last two stop at the bomber's level to continue escort. In the excitement of the opening move however, they forget about the three F-16's down below which have also increased their speed. By the time the two diving Hellschild's realize the second group is on them, they're already being engaged. The F-15's are free.

The F-15's use their dive's momentum to turn back up and switch targets. They pounce on the trailing flight of Hellschild. The blue-winged one opens up with his guns and the solo red-winged one lets loose a missile on the last one which has just turned in on them. The first F-5 jerks right to further his dive but ends with his tail smoking from the burst going into it. The third doesn't have the time to move before the missile plows into it and it blows up into a fireball. The Ustio planes roar by the undamaged middle and turn to take the two lead Belkan escorts.

The bombers only hear the reports.

"Paul, where are you! I have one on my tail."

"I'm dealing with my own."

"Hellschild-7 is down!"

"Hellschild-5, my plane has been damaged. She won't fly straight."

The pilot gnashes his teeth as he listens to it all. His two forward escorts finally break off to help their squadmates fighting the three F-16's. Almost instantly afterwards they're being run down by the two F-15's which have looped around onto their tail. Both of them fire a missile which crosses the distance easily. One Belkan goes up into flames while the other one pops flares soon enough to slightly confuse the missile. Instead of becoming a fireball, he has his right wing blown away causing it to go into a death spiral. The two F-15's forgo the two languishing F-5's being hunted down by the F-16's and turn towards the duo that remain.

The damaged F-5 and his wingman have returned and are heading towards their flight lead who's being hunted down. They're forced to pull away when the F-15's arrive. The Blue-winged one fires a short burst at the damaged leader which causes him to split from his wingman. Instead of chasing the damaged one, Blue does a mixture of a barrel roll and a half-loop to re-orientate and help chase down Hellschild-6. Blue lines up perpendicular to an curving Hellshild and opens up with another quick burst. It doesn't do much damage but the shock causes Hellschild-6 to freeze up at the worst time. Red finishes him off with a gun burst directly down his tail-engine.

With Hellschild-6 falling from the sky, both F-15's turn and aim for the sluggish Hellschild-5. At this moment, the lead bomber can read the signs. He grabs the radio and asks for help.

"Altruder, we need you up here now! Otto flights two and three, change course to bearing 120 for five klicks and then continue with operation."

"Captain, lock on warning!"

"Damn!"

The pilot looks up and sees what's been missing. The four planes in front of them, SU-27's, have entered into range and are speeding up. Four missile plumes are seen for just a moment. A moment in which Otto-1 and Otto-2 attempt to take evasive maneuvers and pop chaff. It's nowhere near enough. The pilot is just able to see Otto-2's entire left wing separate before he's knocked unconscious by two explosions. One missile takes out the nearest right-side engine while another blows up in the farthest left-side one. Both bombers begin to plummet.

* * *

"Two enemy bombers down. Stay sharp out there!"

Pixy ignores base command's message while the grin possessing his face is threatening to split it in half. He takes a quick look at the situation. The damaged F-5 was taken care of, Crow team had finally finished off their two, two bombers were falling thanks to Trident, and not a single speck of damage to their entire division.

Pixy cackles and then turns on the radio.

"Hey Cipher, any more bright ideas to deal with the last five fighters?"

The radio is quiet for a moment except for the sounds of Crow and Trident's yells as Galm circles around to the front of the Belkan formation. It's when they both get there and the third bomber is down that Cipher's voice goes over the net.

"Galm-1 to Crow and Trident. Open to another suggestion?"

"Sure, why not. Doesn't mean I plan on following it though."

Contrasting to her prior response, Dainty's echo is followed by a good-natured laugh.

Scruffy cuts across the net saying, "Sure, but make it fast. Five bandits dead ahead and closing."

Cipher takes a quick glance at his radar and spots five fighters coming at them all from their direct north-north-west. 6th division is in the same general position as the start. Crow team is low on the operation plane, Trident is middle ground, and Galm is slightly above.

Cipher returns and says, "Trident, blind fire four missiles into their mass. Lock on not needed. Break their formation. Crow converges on the smaller pack. Trident changes focus to the larger one. Galm team will support by flanking. Go!"

Without waiting, Cipher takes a hard left to get in line with the approaching enemy jets with Pixy right behind him. Crow team angles into the same direction quickly enough but Trident takes a little while. By the time they're in position, Galm is almost in range of the Belkan fighters. Pixy is heard shouting over the net.

"Any time now, Trident!"

Finally, four white plumes are seen rocketing toward the now in range bandits. Cipher decides to blind fire one of his own as well. Suddenly, he gets a lock on warning. He jerks hard left-up on the stick and pops flares. Pixy does so as well. Just in front of the three flights, five missiles cross one coming their direction. Cipher's eyes go wide when he sees a white rocket roar by underneath his carriage. He also catches a glimpse of what looks like the plume of a sixth missile from the Ustio group.

He hears Trident burst out over the channel.

"Scratch one."

"Holy shit, Point! Fucking nice!"

Cipher's attention snaps back to the situation at hand. He looks to see what the Belkan formation is doing. They've split into two, one of three going left and one on his own. Of the previously numbered five plane group, one F-4 is distinctly missing.

"Galm, Crow. We've got this one. Help Trident."

"Copy."

Cipher gets back into control and leads Pixy to join Trident's small furball. Two of the three are being kept busy by half of Trident while the third is being ridden down by the rest.

Pixy's mic clicks and he suggests, "We still have bombers to deal with. I'll take the loner and then join up for the two?"

"Go."

Cipher and Pixy split. Cipher guns it to try and head off the lead bandit. Both sides are swirls in the sky as they try to get into better positions against the other. In a sense, it's an orderly form of chaotic dance, but not for very much longer. Cipher locks onto the lead bandit turning into him and quickly lets a missile fly. He then immediately sends a short burst in the path further into and below his opponent's turn. The enemy jet tries to deepen his turn as much as possible and pops flares. The missile falls for it but the enemy jet is hit by the gun burst. Part of the cockpit is marked and the plane goes into a death spiral.

Dainty whines, "Hey! That was mine!"

Point cuts in, "Not the time. Need help."

Cipher makes sure the bandit is truly dead before finishing his circle. He and Dainty form an impromptu group and head for Point's duel. It's evenly matched with the F-5's pilot being skilled enough to stay out of Point's PIP and shaking her off for a second or two before it starts over again. It stays that way until Cipher and Dainty arrive and make quick work of the heavily outnumbered Belkan.

Cipher forms up with Dainty and Point. He looks to try to find Pixy.

He calls out, "Pixy, Cipher. Status?"

"Ace."

"Ah! Pixy, you fucker!"

Niceguy curses out Pixy a little more before going silent. Scrubs laughs.

"Looks like Galm 2 is gonna steal the show again."

Pixy forms up on Cipher while Trident regroups up ahead of them. Cipher checks Crow's status and sees their trails headed their way.

"Crow-1 here. We've taken care of the loner. I see Galm helped you all out?"

Niceguy comes on again to complain.

"Stole our kills more like it …"

Dainty gives a small chuckle and then grumbles, "The bastards."

Bark whines, "Come on, Pixy! Leave some for us, will ya?"

"I don't have time for that. It's every man for himself."

"Guys. Bombers."

The joking ends with Point's reminder. They orientate towards the bombers which have increased the gap between the 6th division and themselves. The whole division lights their afterburners up and moves to intercept once more.

Pixy calls out over command, "Base Command, we mopped up the enemy escort planes. Continuing on to enemy bombers."

"Roger. Bombers will be over us in seven minutes. We're counting on you."

Dainty growls, "Plenty of time."

"Galm-1 to all, Galm will head for the lead group and cut them off."

"Crow will follow Galm."

"Trident takes the tail … again."

"Good hunting. Galm-1 out."

"This isn't hunting. This is shooting fish in a barrel. Crow-1 out."

The 6th division splits up. Other than a bomber in the trailing group that tries to run, the rest of the mission is uneventful. All of the bomber squadron and its escorts sent to take care of Valais Air Base are destroyed.

"Base Command to 6th Division. The enemy attack unit has been successfully intercepted. All planes, job well done! You'll be paid well for this."

Cheers echo out over the channel with Crow and Trident yelling and shouting in joy. Pixy regroups with Cipher on his wing and laughs.

"Cipher, I have a feeling you and me will get along just fine. … Buddy."

Cipher only snorts. All nine pilots are in a rare good mood when they land and taxi to the entrances of their caverns. They dismount and are greeted by the cheering of their ground crews. Everyone is caught up in the moment and a few of the pilots are lifted into the air. The party is forced to become serious when they see Colonel Falkenrath approach the gathering.

He calmly walks up to stand in front of everyone. His serious stare moves from pilot to pilot. He finally nods and breaks out into a smile.

"Excellent flying. All of you did a marvelous job. I'm actually in a mood good enough to even forget Trident-3's earlier questionable behavior."

Christophe opens his mouth to say something but he's elbowed in the side by Elisabeth who shakes her head. He grumbles but remains quiet. Falkenrath shakes his head slightly. He ignores the sniggering coming from everyone else and continues with a more serious gaze. He looks over the sea of mechanics, technicians, and airmen. His eyes stop once more on the pilots.

"The Belkan's have spread themselves too far in getting to where they are now. I don't doubt they'll slow down in order to reorganize, but until then we should be in the clear. Thanks to you, Belka's attack on Valais Air Base has failed. Your efforts will not go unrewarded. Your actions may well decide who wins the Belkan War. I, for one, will be counting on you."

By the time he ends the pilots have managed to stand straight and look serious. Falkenrath is actually able to think of them has professionals for a second until he looks at Crow-3's gut and Crow-1's beard and the fantasy falls apart.

Finally, he nods and then calls out, "Dismissed!"

All is quiet for a second before Christophe turns to Crow-3 and asks, "So what was that about hot whiskey earlier?"

Crow team bursts out laughing. Galm and the rest of Trident steal looks at the Colonel. In disgust, he just shakes his head and turns around. Instantaneously a cheer goes out and a few ground crewman gather around Crow team. The portly pilot shakes out of the grasp of a few and growls.

"I'm not giving you drinks! Shoo!"

Crow-3 runs off in the direction of the bar. Crow and Trident break out into laughs and run after him. Cipher and Pixy share a look. Cipher shrugs and Pixy's face breaks out into a grin. They start running after the rest.

* * *

"Hey Glass, you have any more?"

Bark lifts up his given glass with a hopeful look. He lowers it again when Scruffy gives a light slap behind the head.

"We're still in a war, Al. No getting drunk."

"I don't know. He might be a better pilot drunk than sober."

"Yeah! He might actually hit something!"

The whole group breaks out into laughter at Glass' joke. Bark sends a glare his way but Glass isn't looking. All of the pilots have gathered in the base's bar. No alcohol is actually served but Glass had seemed to figure out a way to smuggle some in before the war started. They all relax after having had a shot of his hidden whiskey.

Agathe leans back and whistles.

"Whew. What a battle."

Elisabeth is leaning forward a little flushed. She has a small smile on her face and she nods her head in agreement.

"Yeah …"

Christophe shakes his head.

"Battle my ass. I didn't see it being that fucking easy. But we flew through their asses. Did any of us even get a damn scratch?"

Everyone shakes their head and looks around.

Renard sighs, "We were lucky."

An awkward silence is created until Pixy perks up at a thought and laughs.

"That wasn't luck. That was planning."

Cipher narrows his eyes and shoots a glance at Pixy. Pixy is smirking and winks at him.

"And whose planning did we all rely on?"

The whole group centers on Cipher. Cipher cringes in his seat. Agathe narrows her eyes and Scruffy shakes his head in disbelief.

"Now that I think about it, yeah. We did. Of all the people, we followed the new guy!"

Scruffy bursts out laughing which brings in Bark. Glass and Renard just shake their own heads more. Christophe scoffs and leans forward.

"Okay, I'll repeat the question. Who the hell _are_ you?"

Cipher shuffles in his seat before breathing in to speak. He's cut off before beginning though by Pixy.

"Now, now, Niceguy. You should introduce yourself first."

Christophe stares incredulously at Pixy.

"That's not how this fucking goes. New guy always goes first."

Pixy's smirk grows.

"The new guy rarely saves your ass."

Christophe curses.

"Bullshit. He came up with some good plans but he didn't save shit." Christophe turns to his side to look at Elisabeth. "Hey Lis, back me up here."

Elisabeth sighs and shakes her head. She sits back up and waves at Cipher.

"Elisabeth Achterberg, Trident-2. My callsign is 'Point.' "

Christophe's mouth falls open and stares wide eyed.

"What?"

Agathe snorts and nods at Cipher.

"Agathe Achterberg, Trident-1. My callsign is 'Dainty.' Push me on it and you'll wind up with a broken nose like Niceguy over here."

Agathe motions her head at Christophe who's finished cursing.

"Fucking traitors."

Renard continues on.

"Renard Paquet, Trident-4. 'Scrubs.' "

Cipher looks at Scruffy who nods up at him.

"Louis Verdan, Crow-1, and I'm saddled with the proud name of 'Scruffy.' "

Agathe grins.

"If you want a new one, you should shave your beard."

Louis looks over and scoffs. He sends a hand over his beard and then through his short dark-blond hair

"When hell freezes over."

Agathe just lifts her arms and waves at their surroundings. Louis just sighs and then laughs. He elbows Bark. Bark startles but then focuses on Cipher.

"Albrecht Weisburg, 'Bark.' I'm Crow-2."

Cipher nods at the young brown-haired guy and then turns to Glass. Glass grunts.

"Norman Richter, Crow-3, 'Glass.' Welcome to the shitshow."

Cipher nods and then focuses back on Christophe. He growls but obliges.

"Christophe Sauvage, Trident-3, 'Niceguy.' Fuck you."

Renard and Pixy roll their eyes while everyone else snickers. Cipher smiles and nods his head. Pixy relaxes and elbows Cipher.

"Alright, buddy. Your turn."

Christophe narrows his eyes and growls some more.

"Fuck that."

Christophe points at Cipher.

"You? Wait."

He then points at Pixy.

"You? You're not getting out of this. He goes last."

Pixy raises an eyebrow at Christophe but Agathe smirks.

"Yeah Pixy. Share like all of the other boys and girls."

Pixy laughs and shakes his head.

"Children."

Agathe and Christophe respond by flipping him the bird in synchronicity. This causes everyone else to break down in laughter. Pixy gets a hold of himself and turns to Cipher.

"Well, like you know, I'm Larry Foulke and I go by 'Pixy.' As of now, I guess I'm Galm-2."

"About that…"

Everyone turns to Agathe who's rubbing her cheek.

"We heard you shouting last night and before the mission you said we'd 'find out' as to why. Is that why? New guy came in and took lead?"

All of the pilots are silent and looking at Pixy. Pixy leans back into his seat and shakes his head.

"No. First I heard of that was when my number was assigned over the radio. I was as surprised as all of you."

Pixy glances at Cipher who shakes his head as well.

"First time I was told."

Pixy nods.

"Right … So, what happened last night wasn't about who was going to lead. I met Cipher here a few hours before curfew. He had been quietly flown in through Ratio yesterday morning and spent the whole day getting slotted in. The Colonel and I's … argument was about him being shuffled into my flight."

Pixy moves around in his seat to get a little more comfortable. Everyone is zeroed in on his story.

"I didn't want to be … tied to him."

"You mean you didn't want to babysit the new guy."

Soft laughter ripples through the group and Pixy shoots a deadpan glare over Agathe's way. Agathe just continues smiling. Pixy sighs and nods his head.

"Yeah … Reminds me. I haven't apologized about all of that yet."

Pixy turns to Cipher and nods at him.

"Sorry about underestimating you. I blew up thinking you were a nugget."

A deep chuckle comes from Norman.

"He sure proved you wrong."

A few more chuckles come from everyone else. Cipher nods his head at Pixy.

"Not an issue … "

Cipher then smirks and puts emphasis on the next word.

"... _Buddy_."

Pixy's eyes widen and then he laughs with his head back. Christophe leans in further.

"Sure, but we've missed the point."

Christophe snaps his fingers at Cipher.

"You? Name. Now."

Elisabeth sighs and the rest of Trident just roll their eyes. Cipher snickers but relents and he opens his mouth to give his name.

* * *

Author's Notes (11/3/2017):

And his name is JOHN _CENA!_ *Gratuitous Confetti Noises and Airhorns Corrupted By Static Noise*

 **Lame joke, I know. I still wanted to make it. Something else to apologize for but, looking at what I had, I realized I didn't have 2 more chapters to give but only one larger chapter. This ends my backlog. Chances are that, like my other stories, this story dies here. Some nebulous time in the future (maybe after AC7 comes out) I might continue this. Don't get your hopes up.**

 **Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed what I have. Fly safe out there.**


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